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| Get Lifted | 
 enlarge | Artist: John Legend
Label: Sony
Category: Music
List Price: $13.98
Buy New: $5.97
You Save: $8.01 (57%)
New (59) Used (27) from $4.29
Avg. Customer Rating:  372 reviews
Sales Rank: 1224
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 92776
UPC: 827969277621
EAN: 0827969277621
ASIN: B0002X314C
Release Date: December 28, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: No hole punches, notch cuts, etc! This CD is brand new, factory sealed! Ships 1st class mail! International=airmail!
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| Tracks:
| • | Prelude | | • | Let's Get Lifted | | • | Used to Love U | | • | Alright | | • | She Don't Have to Know | | • | Number One | | • | I Can Change | | • | Ordinary People | | • | Stay With You | | • | Let's Get Lifted Again | | • | So High | | • | Refuge (When It's Cold Outside) | | • | It Don't Have to Change | | • | Live It Up |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Given the sped-up classic soul samples with which Kanye West has made his mark, it comes as no surprise that the producer/rapper would pick a tradition-minded R&B singer as his first big pet project. Legend first made his name on Philly's incense-clouded, '70s-obsessed neo-soul scene, then found his way to New York and became West's right-hand man in the studio. His patron's pop smarts serve Legend well--while many contemporary R&B records rely too heavily on a singer's cadence and skill to carry underdeveloped tunes, Legend and West have composed genuine songs like the perky "Number One," which has a lovestruck West jabbering that he no longer believes that "my heart don't got nothing to do with my penis." (It's way more convincing than Snoop Dogg's pledge of love on the next track, "I Can Change.") And even when the melodies are slight, West slides some nasty bass lines underneath, hinting at just enough of a hip-hop sensibility to keep the album from drifting into retro nostalgia. Yet Legend is no mere producer's plaything. His voice isn't immediately distinctive; he's neither as careworn as Anthony Hamilton nor as creamy as D'Angelo. But his gift for restraint sets him apart: the sex-as-drug metaphor of the title track is hardly fresh, but Legend delivers it smoothly enough to make it work, without pressing the issue. All bedroom come-ons have been used before. This late in the game, it's a matter of how well you use 'em. --Keith Harris
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| Customer Reviews: Read 367 more reviews...
 Expect Great Things From Him For a Long Time to Come January 30, 2005
129 out of 136 found this review helpful
Although his surname may be something he picked up from an old friend in Chicago, John Legend's debut album "Get Lifted" proves a definite validation in the making. A gifted singer, songwriter and pianist, he has already gotten his hands dirty as a session player and songwriter for the likes of Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys and Twista. He even played piano on Lauryn Hill's 1999 Top 40 hit "Everything Is Everything" when he was still a teenager, and his work on Kayne West's debut album "College Dropout" that helped yield sizzling success last year led West to produce "Get Lifted."
Although criticism that he has relied too much on his influences to guide his musical direction is semi-justified, Legend (real name John Stevens) has more than enough talent and charisma at his disposal that one listen to the album will leave no doubt in the minds of listeners that he is something special. With his sparkling strokes on the keys of his piano and his singing expressive and powerful, "Get Lifted" will make some think that Alicia Keys' male counterpart has arrived on the scene. It is appropriate, then, that she utilized his talents on her "Diary of Alicia Keys" album and has him to support her on her forthcoming tour.
Although the initial single "Used to Love U" was the most obvious song for radio play, it is a mere taste of what the album has to offer. Current single "Ordinary People," which is currently ascending the Hot 100, is full-fledged musical rapture, infused with crystalline passion and grace. Anyone who has heard this song and is not smart enough to appreciate the talent behind it will not like the rest of the LP either.
A particular highlight comes when he waxes romanticism on the radio-ready "Refuge (When It's Cold Outside)":
"When it's cold outside/There's no need to worry cuz/I'm so warm inside/You give me peace/When the storm's outside/Cuz we're in love I know/It'll be alright."
The sunny, smile-inducing "Number One" which features a wonderfully exuberant rap by West is an absolute delight:
"You know that I love you/There's no one above you/I said it the last time/But this is the last time/Don't make me over/Cuz I can be faithful/Baby you're my number one."
Other highlights include the infectious "I Can Change" featuring Snoop Dogg, the soul-searching "So High" and the closing "Live It Up" where his awesome interpretation of his lyrics combined with colorful production and vinyl crackles brings his disc to a regretful conclusion.
John Legend has crafted an album that is pure candy to the ears and spotlights a wealth of talent that is truly all his own. If there is any artist out there worthy of all the hype surrounding them, he is the one. Expect great things from him for a long time to come.
I have been waiting for this CD release since October.... January 12, 2005
54 out of 70 found this review helpful
when I heard him on Chicago's radion staion B96, in the studio with the piano singing Ordinary People. The CD was supposed to be released in November, early December but the release date was pushed back. Anyone who can go into a radio station and literally sing his heart out like, Mr. Ledgend did, deserves all the kudos he is getting right now. In the time of these NONE artists out here, here is someone who is a writer, musician and singer like Alicia Keys, making his mark. He will be around for a very long time. Good breakthrough start for Chi-Town's Kanye West's new label.
 Nothing "Ordinary"... (4.5 Stars) February 26, 2005
18 out of 19 found this review helpful
They say, "Persistence pays off". After years of working behind the scenes (like playing on Lauryn Hill's 1999 "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill": "Everything is Everything" and title track "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill") John Legend (Stephens) is finally the front man. "Get Lifted" is one impressive debut that ranges from R&B/Soul ballads to R&B/Hip Hop hybrids, both complemented with the piano. Highlights include the instantly intriguing "Let's Get Lifted", its vocally impressive counterpart "Let's Get Lifted Again", the catchy "I Can Change" & "Alright", the beautiful "Ordinary People", the soulful "Stay With You", and the best song on the album, the incredible "She Don't Have To Know" where the perspective is switched onto the two people cheating. Noble? No. Unique? With the way John Legend presents it; definitely. The only place where the album falters is the collaboration with Kanye West; "Number One" sounds like an obligatory track between the "mentor" and "protégé" (and Kanye just kills the song with his verse). But overall, the album is exceptional from start to finish. With innovative and fresh-sounding material, John Legend proves that he is not just another "throwaway artist", but rather an artist that has potential and whose talent will inevitably extent far into his career.
 sorry fans! November 21, 2005
11 out of 16 found this review helpful
i am so sorry to say this, and i know a lot of u guys are gonna rate my review unhelpful, but i was REALLY dissapointed in this cd. i think i expected a lot more since kayne was constantly hyping him up. don't get me wrong, he does have a beautiful soothing voice, the i thought the content was a little weak. i think his lyrics is his biggest downfall. (sorry! just stating my opinion) i can tell by the reviews a lot of people don't agree with me. i bought this cd when it first came out for regular price, i originally bought it strictly for the track "ordinary people" then i took a listen to the rest of the cd, and i must say i was very disspointed. a few months later this same cd went on sale for $9.99 and i can't even say that i would pay that price.
for a good listen i think you should invest in anthony hamilton or dwele. thanks guys!!! don't hate me
 3.5 Promising, but uneven R&B debut January 10, 2005
10 out of 14 found this review helpful
Some print sources (Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone) have proclaimed Mr. John Stephens the second coming, a purveyor of soul that can move beyond the ordinariness that much of modern R&B has yielded. The man is indeed talented, but in my humble opinion, I believe that the laudable marks his album has received thus far are more a product of potential than of actual output. For an artist capable of conjuring up some of the most urbane, emotive soul, a la Roberta Flack, in recent memory, the artist suffers from a temporary, albeit notable problem of inconsistency.
The strongest track, "Ordinary People," is an exqusite account of pragmatic love in which the artist eschews the cheezy endings in movies and trite love songs in favor of the real work to be done and the difficult questions to answer in relationships. The realistic, almost plaintive lyrics here are accented by a movingly stripped-down piano accompaniment. "Stay With You," a track reminscent of the Gospel-tinged Soul of Curtis Mayfield with its sweeping organ, is an airy feel-good song about fidelity and commitment. "Live it Up," the album's final track ends the full-length debut on a good note, with a refreshing, restrained cameo from the sometimes annoyingly overpowering Miri Ben-Ari, the "hip hop violinist".
The CD, however, is marred by its unevenness as the artist tries, unsuccessfully, to satisfy traditional R&B audiences and Hip Hop audiences at the same time. While "She Don't Have to Know" (an older track) is a fresh flippant tale of a continuing infidelity, "Number 1" suffers because of its exagerrated attempts to indulge the player mentality/aesthetic. And many of the other songs, the title track included, feel like album filler, as the artist recyles stale parallels between marijuana/ spirituality with the love and affection of a woman.
All is not lost. This cd is a quality addition to any R&B fan's catalogue, if only for the uniqueness of this newcomer's sound. Next time around, maybe he'll make a firmer decision about which audience he hopes to entertain. While human nature is contradictory in itself, John's biggest problem is that he tries too hard to present them both, sacrificing authenticity along the way.
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